I was losing a lot of hair for the past eight months and I looked into many different causes - food allergies, stress, hormones, etc so I did my best to modify and with not much luck so I started looking at the ingredients in my shampoo. In my case I was also getting dermatitis. Anyways, I changed my cleansing habits. I apply coconut oil or castor oil to my scalp and massage my scalp and keep it on overnight. I also started to use Dr. Bronner's soaps (which I love, love, love now) on my face and in place of shampoo. It's pretty strong and leaves a build up so usually wash my hair again with an organic shampoo (no parabens or SLS - I think SLS is the biggest culprit with me) and just condition the ends of my hair and don't let any get onto my scalp. I think I am sensitive to a lot of products and they really clog my pores. My moisturizer is plain old coconut oil and Penaten (diaper cream) for any blemishes I may get. I used to lose handfuls of hair in the bath/shower and then more when I dried my hair and now I love 5-10 hairs max since changing my routine. All the hair I lost is coming back too!

Amygdala, So what you're saying is the next time she "blames" someone for a problem her kids have~point out something good they got from the family member. Basically make SIL see that her kids get good traits and not all bad from the inlaws. I've also wondered for quite awhile~are you some type of pschologist or something like that? You have lots of answers that come from the more medical and techincal side then some of the rest of us. I enjoy reading what you have to say about things. TreKaren, I hope for the best for those kids, too. I'm kind of hoping they are the type who when they get older decide to change things and not be like they're parents. They really can be loving and sweet and I think they just want attention most of the time. They love my fiance' and I and have always sort of been drawn to us. The thing is that in the past year or so, they've been pulling away and distancing themselves. It's that way with the whole family and we kind of think that they are being told things about everyone or they overhear things. Oh, my nephew really isn't that fat as they like to call him. The kid just has some meat on his bones. His mother is Filipino (I just realized I wasn't thinking and spelled that wrong earlier! Whoops!) and so she really doesn't like most of our food and eats a lot of rice and is like a size 3. Again genetics come into play and just because she's skinny won't mean the kids will be. They're father is about medium weight for his height and he's considered huge by her. I would bet my nephew's system is more like his father's than his mother's and that's why he gains weight while they're daughter is petite. It also doesn't help that they are allowed to snack whenever and don't get balanced meals most of the time (like one summer she thought it was a better idea and cheaper to feed the kids frozen TV dinners instead of making them food!). MIL once said that it's so bad that she picked up my newphew and thought she would take him to McDonald's for a treat and he begged her to take him to her house for peanut butter and jelly! So that won't help his weight issue much, will it? I guess they need to really just watch so it doesn't become a future problem more than anything. Thanks again. ~Leslie~

Blushing Escapade got my attention. Is it more of a true pink or a mauve/lavender pink in person?...Hearts of Fire looks vibrant, not like the dull brick reds of old.... I was interested in your picture of Ashwood Dark Side as it's on my long list. I'm not sold on the form though, so it will probably remain there. Still hard to beat Norris's Mary's Baby if one is going to forego the round and/ or frilly look.............Maryl

My Bermuda receded like that under the shade of my giant oaks. No idea what's going on with yours, but it's in some kind of decline... Certainly doesn't look dry--maybe the standing water? How much sun does it get? Is it always soggy? I'm sure somebody will recommend baby shampoo or corn meal before the day is done.